Emergence
by pinkprincess13310
Summary: Takes place after Quorra and Sam jump out of the Grid and follows them on their journey to change the world as a team. R&R
1. Chapter 1

**_This is my new story. I've been working on my writers block on my other story and it was creating a lot of dribbles that I couldn't use in that particular story so I decided to start a new story here! Hope you like it!_**

_One_

My eyes flew open and I gripped the silk sheets that were gathered around my form. I looked around, feeling the stillness of the morning and the hints of dawn sneaking it's way through the window in my room.

It was just a dream, it was just a bad dream.

I heaved a nostalgic sigh and ran my hand over my forehead and into my hair, feeling the beads of sweat against my warm and clammy skin.

I turned to my side, glancing at the clock to see that it was barely seven in the morning.

A door opened and then clicked shut and as if on cue, I heard the familiar movement throughout the apartment of Sam and Marvin. The noise of the small dogs jingling collar grew closer until I felt small legs pounce onto my bed, stepping all over me like they normally did.

The dog pulled away my covers with his teeth and began licking my face eagerly. "Marvin," I mumbled as I turned my head away from him and pushed him away with my hand. "I'm already awake."

I sighed and sat up as Marvin looked at me with his large round eyes before barking once and hopping off of the bed and hurrying out of the room. I smiled and grabbed my form-fitting zip up hoodie and followed the sound of his footsteps until I was in the kitchen.

Marvin was sitting and waiting with a small rope hanging from his mouth, wagging his tail playfully. I laughed softly and grabbed the other end of the rope and play him in a round of tug of war as I notice Sam sitting at the island with a cup of coffee and a bunch of notes scattered around him.

I successfully pull the rope from his mouth and toss it across the room to watch Marvin bolt after it. "Good morning," Sam says as I look over at him. "I didn't know Marvin would make a routine out of waking you up," he added as he smiled at me but I could hear the underlying apology in his voice.

"I was already awake," I said as I grabbed a bowl of fruit that I had diced the day before after discovering that I love the taste of strawberries, watermelon, apples and grapes. "What's all that?"

He made a humming noise. "Paperwork, I'm meeting Alan for breakfast this morning for a meeting about reconstruction phases," he muttered as he scratched his chin.

"Oh," I replied as I grabbed a fork and began to eat the watermelon in the bowl.

He glanced over at me, seemingly deep in thought. "I won't be going into ENCOM today. I saw the grocery list on the counter earlier," he started as he glanced over at the lined paper that was next to the sink. "How about we knock that out later and get dinner?" he suggested as he clicked the pen in his hand a few times.

I did most of the grocery shopping these days since it was something that was fairly easy to do and since Sam spent most of the weekdays pent up in his office on the top floor of ENCOM headquarters. On occasion, Sam would tag along when he felt like he was neglecting me or not spending enough time around me which was never the case.

I did enjoy spending the extra time with him so I never objected to the idea unless I knew he had something important to do at ENCOM.

I smiled as I chewed on a grape. "You don't have to take off work all of the time to spend time with me," I reminded him as I felt Marvin scratch his paws against my legs I grabbed the rope from his mouth again and tossed it away from him.

"I know," he said before scribbling something down.

"Can we go to Providence again?" I asked as I remembered the beautifully lit seafood restaurant that Sam had taken me to once. We'd been back a few times because they had outstanding cuisine and I always asked to go there.

Sam chuckled. "I know I may be made out of money but it costs two arms and a leg to eat there," he said as he glanced over at the clock that was above the oven.

"I thought that the currency here were the paper bills and coins, not limbs," I said as my eyebrows knitted together and looked down at my hands, wondering it'd be like to not have them.

He laughed again. "It was just an expression. It means that it costs a lot to eat there," he chuckled. "We can eat there if you'd like to," he went on.

"That's peculiar," I responded as I stood and placed the lid over the bowl of fruit and put them back in the refrigerator.

"I suppose it is," he agreed as he organized the stack of papers and put them in a black leather folder. "I should be back by ten," he added as he stood and threw on a light jacket and grabbed a pair of shoes from the closet by the door. "Call me if you need anything," he said before he was gone.

He always said that or something along those lines when he left. I knew the drill by now but it was still nice to hear. It was as if he were verbally telling me that he cared without saying those words.

It was nice to know that I wasn't alone here. This world was large and at times, scary but also beyond fascinating.

I'd been here for a month and there was so much that I'd learned but there was so much more that I hadn't yet.

Sam had introduced me to Alan and his wife, Lora, who he said had acted as his surrogate parents upon his fathers sudden disappearance. They had always been there for Sam even when he didn't want them to be. He said that we could trust them, so I did.

I peered at the grocery list once more and skimmed the various foods that we had in the refrigerator and cupboards before jotting down a few more items. I placed the few dishes that were in the sink in the dishwasher before making my way back to my room and into the bathroom.

I enjoyed showers, it was one of the many things that I looked forward throughout my day. The way that the warm water ran across my skin, leaving small droplets of water behind on their scrambled path down my skin was fascinating and intriguing to watch. The steam that slowly covered the mirror was also entertaining and even more so once I realized that you could draw on the surface with your fingers.

Everything was so different here and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I took a shower and dressed methodically before making my bed and looking out the window to see that the sun was above the horizon now. I smiled and settled on watching TV on the large screen in the spacious room beside the kitchen.

I noticed my keychain wallet sitting on the glass table in front of me and smiled as I saw the drivers license that Sam had printed for me. It read Quorra Emily Flynn.

"This is the fun part, you can have whatever name you'd like," Sam had said as he leaned back in his chair after typing nonstop for the past thirty minutes. "Alan and I worked through the kinks and bumps for your history, birthday, which is January 12th, you seemed like a winter to me," he said with the hints of a laugh in his voice.

"Isn't that a season though?" I had pressed from where I sat beside him, reading through the dictionary to pass the time. "And I don't wish to change my name, I want to be Quorra," I added as I shut the large book and set it on my lap.

"You need a full name, Q," he said as he turned to face me. "A middle name and a last name."

I nodded barely, already having the answer to one of them clear in my head. "Quorra Flynn," I answered as if it'd be ridiculous to have any other name. "I want to be Quorra Flynn," I said again as I watched Sam make a strange face. I bit my lip, gripping the book in my lap tightly. "Is that incorrect?" I asked, feeling as if I had missed something.

Sam shook his head quickly. "No, not at all," he said as he leaned over to grasp my hands, squeezing them reassuringly like he did when he'd notice that I felt out of place. He released them after a few moments. "Having the same last name has multiple meanings here," he said.

"We're family, aren't we?" I had asked. "Having the same last name means that we're family," I said. "Like you and Flynn."

"We're family, Q," he promised as he gave me a lopsided smile. This normally meant that he was contemplating something.

I nodded eagerly. "Then I want to be Quorra Flynn," I told him and he turned towards the screen and started typing away again. "What are the other meanings?"

"They all mean family in one way or another," he said with a slight shrug. "It's a tradition that we do when we find someone we want to spend the rest of our lives with," he went on as he made a face at the computer.

"Like Alan and Lora and Flynn and your mother?" I asked in a guessing tone. He just nodded twice.

"Yeah, like them," he said quietly and then we lapsed into silence for a few minutes while he typed away. I could see the sadness in his eyes but also the strangest of smiles that pursed his lips. I wondered if I was the cause for the mixed emotions. "What about a middle name?" he asked suddenly.

"I don't know," I answered. "Why don't you pick?"

Marvin jumped onto my lap, forcing me out of my thoughts. I rubbed the spot between his ears and smiled as he wagged his tail and rested his head in my lap.

The door opened to the apartment and Sam walked in with Alan right behind him. I turned my head. "You're back early," I murmured as I glanced at the clock. "Hi, Alan," I added as I smiled at him.

"Hey, Quorra," Alan responded. "How have you been adjusting?"

"Very well, Sam has been more than kind," I added as I pulled Marvin into my arms and stood. He licked my face a few times. "Marvin has too," I added as Sam laughed before disappearing for a moment.

"Good," he said as he pulled out a chair at the island table. "Have you experienced any abnormalities since we spoke last?" he asked as Sam reappeared with a familiar manila folder that had all of my documents in it. He took a seat across from Alan.

I bit my lip as I set Marvin on his feet and moved into the kitchen, leaning against the counter so I was facing them both. "Other than my marking continuing to still fade, no," I said as I felt my face fall.

"Anything at all?" Alan pressed as he wrote something down.

I shrugged. "I still get dreams, bad dreams."

"You never told me that, I thought they stopped a few nights ago," Sam piped up.

I shook my head. "I just don't want to continue waking you up. You've been looking sleep deprived for a while," I responded.

"It doesn't matter, Q, it's fine," he said in a promising tone. I smiled slightly.

"Don't worry about the dreams, they'll go away eventually," Alan promised me. "As far as the marking, I think it's the process of assimilating into humanity so try not to worry about it," he added as he grinned.

Alan, Lora and Sam had been on a mission to try and find out what Flynn had meant when he said I could change the world. The first two weeks here, we had spent countless hours going through scenarios, many of his files and journals until they had found something.

Out of the blue though, they decided to drop the subject and halt the research. None of them would tell me why so I brushed it aside, knowing that Sam would tell me when it became relevant.

"Thanks, Alan," Sam said as Alan stood, squeezing my shoulder gently before heading towards the door. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

"Alright, kiddo."

Sam stands as the door clicks shut. "I don't mind being there for you, Q, I enjoy it really," he said as he leaned against the island, directly in front of me.

"You do?" I questioned as I pressed my hands again the marble counter. "I don't want to be a nuisance."

"You're not," he said simply. "I enjoy the company more than you could ever understand," he added.

I smiled and took a few steps forward until I worked my arms around him in a warm hug. He hugged me back, resting his head on top of mine.

I had always known what a hug was but I had never experienced it until Sam had humored me with a hug upon me asking about it. I had instantly decided that I enjoyed the feeling and I hugged Sam constantly for the next week.

I liked how his arms moved around me to rest on my lower back and how I could rest my head in the space below his neck. I enjoyed the warmth that was brought on by the simple physical act.

"I enjoy your company as well," I agreed, my lips moving slowly against the soft fabric of his dress shirt.

"Good."

I made a humming noise, a sound that I realized I made when I was content. Sam chuckled, his rumbling laugh vibrating throughout me. I finally pulled back. "So, shopping? Lulu Lemon finally has their new shipment of winter sportswear in," I said eagerly.

"I thought we were just going grocery shopping?"

_**Let me know what you think! May update in a few hours if I see that there's interest since I already have a lot of chapters written. See you soon!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_Two_

_Sam P.O.V._

Quorra assimilated well and as the second month since we had returned rolled around, she started to become restless. She didn't tell me this but I could feel it within her and we had spent so much time together over the past two months, that it was easy to tell when something was wrong.

I walked through toe door late one Friday evening to the smell of Lysol and Clorox mixed together, making me wrinkle my noise at the mix. Quorra was sitting on the couch, flicking through the internet on her tablet as one of her favorite TV shows played on Netflix in the background.

"Hey!" she said eagerly as she looked over at me as I took my jacket off and walked into the kitchen. "There's spaghetti bake in the oven, it'll be ready in about thirty minutes," she said before turning her attention back to her tablet.

"I thought tonight was my night to cook dinner," I said with a slight grin. "You were the one who proposed the idea," I reminded her as I took my shoes off and came to join her on the couch, lifting her legs so her feet were sprawled out over me so I had room.

She shrugged. "I love Chef Boyardee and all but I wanted to do something different and anyways, you've worked all day," she responded.

"Who said that was my dinner proposal?" I questioned as I smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes. "It's always your dinner proposal," she shot back lightly and she knew she had me there.

"What are you reading?"

She set the tablet in her lap. "I'm learning about child birth," she answered as she rested her head against her hand that was propped up by the cushions of the couch. "It sounds very painful, why would anyone want to have a child?" she questioned.

"I don't know," I said somewhat honestly as I shrugged and squeezed her legs. "You love someone so much that you want a family with them," I tried as I scratched my head. "Or it's an accident."

She nodded, seemingly deep in her own thoughts. "I have learned that human intimacy is a weird thing," she murmured as she closed the internet app on her tablet and opened up a chess app.

"It is," I agreed and couldn't help but laugh softly.

"Have you ever experienced any of it?" she asked suddenly as her eyes pierced mine.

I frowned. "I never experienced that feeling with someone, wanting to have a family that is," I said as I looked out the window at the quickly dimming sky. "I never had given thought to that lifestyle."

"Have you experienced intimacy?" she pressed. I nodded and her eyes widened curiously. "What is it like?"

I made a face. I had never been the most romantic man in the world. My longest serious relationship, if I could call it that, was four month but it was pretty much over after two and a half.

I played the bachelor role for most of my life, sleeping with most if not all of the woman that I was involved with. I was strictly in it for the sex and the girls would leave in masses once they wised up and realized it. I had never told any of them I loved them but why bother if it wasn't true, right?

"I've never loved a woman," I told her as my eyes met her intense gaze. "It was never real intimacy," I went on as I frowned.

She pursed her lips and knitted her eyebrows together, clearly not getting the response that she had wanted. We fell into a comfortable silence as she seemed to mull over my statement. "Do you regret that?"

"Now, yes," I answered as I pondered the question. "Things are different now."

"How so?"

"I haven't quite figured that one out yet," I said with a shrug. "I think I'm just tired of being alone," I finally said.

She made a face. "You're not alone," she disagreed as she set the tablet on the table. "You have me," she reminded me.

I felt my stomach twist up inside me but I also noticed a warm and foreign feeling spread through my very core as she said this. I pushed the feeling away desperately but I couldn't help the smile that plastered itself on my face. It reached my eyes and everything.

"I do," I agreed as I picked her hand up and squeezed it gently before I released it. "And you always have me."

She smiled back and we held each others gazes for a while. "I'd like to get a job," she added as if we were still having the same conversation.

"A job, why?"

She ran her fingers through her hair. "You have ENCOM and it's your purpose in a way. I want to have a purpose in this world. How am I supposed to learn the difficult things if I'm not doing any hands on experimenting? I can't change a world that I know nothing about."

She had a point with that.

I licked my lips. "If you think you're ready," I started, in a tone that was asking her.

"I am, Sam."

"How about something at ENCOM? Or would you prefer to do something else?" I questioned.

She made a face at me like she was confused that I had even asked the question. "I'd like to work at ENCOM with you," she said eagerly. "And Alan."

I laughed. "Sure."

She grinned eagerly and in the next moment she had moved so she could hook her arms around me in a hug. "Thank you, Sam," she murmured and I could feel that warm feeling rise in my chest again. "Can I start now?"

"Monday," I mumbled into her hair as I thought about how the baked spaghetti was probably burning and how nice her hair smelled and how I could've held her all night long. It made the almost tasteless burnt noodles and the improvised Chef Boyardee dinner that much more worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey, again! I hope you all have enjoyed the beginning of my new story! Here's another chapter, I own nothing btw, except for Chef Boyardee because that's one of my few college life staples that I sometimes live off of..haha anyways, enjoy!**_

_Three_

_Quorra P.O.V._

"How do I look?" I pressed as I walked out of my room in the business casual outfit that I had picked out on Saturday with Sam. "I was going for a more casual professional look but I'm not sure if I mastered this or not," I stammered as I fumbled with buttons to the silk top.

Sam chuckled before gulping down the rest of his coffee. "You act like you're about to walk into an exam about how you dress," he said as he leaned against the island in the kitchen. "You look fine, very professional," he promised. "I hope you're ready to go change the world," he said and I could hear the wide grin on his lips.

He grabbed the keys to the car that he had purchased for me the day after I had almost wrecked the newer Ducati. In my defense, I was still learning the different gravitational rules when it came to vehicles.

"I am," I said as I followed him out the door and locked it before settling into the black leather seat. The ride to ENCOM was mostly quiet as I enjoyed looking out the window at the changing scenery until the questions began to flood my mind. "What are my duties here?"

"You're job?" he asked and waiting until I turned and nodded at him. "Head of Programming technicians, so you'll be working with our operating systems and various programs that are downloaded with them," he explained.

I nodded. "I suppose that fits," I said with a small smile.

"I know this'll be a breeze for you," he said reassuringly. "You'll have your own office across the hall but you'll probably find it less time consuming to work in my office, either is fine," he said as he pulled a key ring with two keys out of his pocket and handed them to me.

He held my hand briefly before letting the keys drop into my grasp. "What do I tell people?"

"What do you mean?"

"My history, what if they ask? I can't tell the truth, right?"

"Oh," he mumbled as he pulled into a parking space right in front of the building. "You're from Sweden, moved here when you were nine after your parents passed away. The rest doesn't necessarily matter."

I nodded and got out of the car, following Sam into the building eagerly.

I had been here a few times, especially in the first few weeks upon my arrival because Sam wanted to keep a close eye on me. After a while, he began to trust that I could hold my own for a few hours while he worked.

Sam's office was located on one of the higher floors, where you could get a perfect view of the city. You could watch the sunrise and sunset from the large glass wall in his office. I wondered if my office had the same features.

The elevator doors opened and we walked out, our shoulders brushing up against one another every three steps. Many eyes fell in our direction, focusing on Sam and I wondered if it was because he was that important here or because he was five and a half minutes late.

I sat in Sam's office most of the morning as he popped in and out of his office with papers, employees and the occasional task for me to do. I spent most of my time working through the coding and kinks to the new operating system that they were wanting to hit the shelves by July. It was still in prototype phase.

A few people came in to meet me, most of them from the programming team but a few others were some of Alan and Sam's friends.

It was intriguing how each person interacted differently upon meeting me. Emily probably came off as the nicest out of all of them. She was a blond woman around Sam's age although she looked younger.

"My middle name is Emily," I said, not knowing exactly why I had said it but it had sounded relevant at the time.

"Cool," she said with a genuine smile. "Sam said you were new so I thought I'd drop by and introduce myself."

"Thank you."

She grinned. "I'm vice president of programming so I work underneath you sort of. If you ever need anything let me know. I'm always excited when one of the new hires is around my age," she went on as she leaned against one of the guest chairs. "It gets kind of boring around here sometimes," she said with a small smile and I smiled back because I didn't know what else to do.

"I'll remember that," I responded to the first portion of her statement. She smiled again before leaving me to my work with a simple exiting gesture.

Going through the operating system and writing a report about it was relatively easy and very interesting to me. The door opened to reveal Sam carrying two mugs. He set one down in front of me. "Hot chocolate," he stated as he registered my questioning eyes. "And I'm ready to go when you are, it's almost eight."

"I didn't realize it was that late," I murmured as I continued typing up the report. "I'll just be a few minutes," I added as I glanced up at him.

He sat down in one of the chairs in front of me. "How do you like working?"

"I love it, I feel like I'm doing something important," I responded as I glanced at him again, smiling. "Your employees are very kind," I added.

He laughed. "Good, they better be nice," he said in a playfully serious voice. I laughed aloud. "So I have something to tell you," he said after a few moments of silence passed between us.

I rose my eyebrows, taking in the change in his tone. "What?" I asked warily, feeling the hints of him saying that we couldn't go to the library tomorrow to get that Jules Verne book or that we were out of frozen yogurt at home and all grocery stores in the area had taken a sudden one week vacation.

"I'm going to have to go on a business trip to India next month," he started and I finally looked up to meet his gaze fully, my typing slowing to a stop. "I'll be gone for about five days, maybe nine. We're branching out to Indian companies so we're setting up a branch there."

"That's great," I said, grinning at him happily but I could tell that there was some sort of problem otherwise he wouldn't have confronted me about it almost three weeks early. "There is a catch though? What is it."

He looked somewhat distressed, causing me to frown slightly. "Only members of the board have been cleared to go for this particular business trip so technically…you can't come with me," he told me as he shoved his hands into his pocket. "If you were to come, it'd have to be a leisure trip," he said in a suggesting tone as he looked at me with somewhat hopeful eyes.

"Would you like for me to come?" I asked, knowing the answer before he could reply but I wanted to hear him say it.

"Yeah, I would. I think you'd enjoy India but…" he trailed off as he scratched his head. "I don't know how much time I'll be able to have with you there. From the itinerary that is currently set up, I'll be working from 8 am to 10 pm," he said.

I nodded, returning to typing up the report so that we could leave. "Maybe it's best that I don't go then," I suggested. "You're there to work and I don't want to get in the way or have you worrying if I got lost in the dense population," I said.

He chuckled at that but bit his lip, not entirely sold on the proposal. I wasn't either. "Maybe I'll see if there's a way that I can get out of it or-"

"Sam," I said as I saved and sent the document and the prototype before turning the monitor off. "Don't be irresponsible. If you need to go, go, I'll be fine here like I always am," I stated as I stood and threw my jacket over my shoulders and started towards the door. "Coming?"

He stood and followed me out of the office. He still didn't seem happy and I didn't know if it was because of this or because of something else. "What would you like for dinner?"

"It's my night tonight, remember?" I asked.

He made a humming noise. "Rules are made to be broken. How about we order in?"

"As long as it's not Chinese food," I stated as I remembered the last time that we had fast food from a Chinese restaurant and the amount of time that I had spent with my head in the toilet hours after.

"No Chinese, I promise."

"Then we can make an exception, just for tonight," I agreed finally as we made our way to the car. "And chocolate pudding and a movie."

He chuckled and I wondered what could possibly be funny about my statement but I found myself laughing as well, our hips bumping into each other we walked so close. "Alright, your highness."

_**Hopefully you enjoyed! I'm taking chapter suggestions so if you have an idea, review or PM with a bit of detail and I'll see what I can do! Thanks for reading, guys! I have some pretty reliable (and pretty awesome) readers!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_Four_

_Sam P.O.V._

Another few weeks flew by and I silently begged for time to slow down. I had never been so happy after Dad had disappeared until now. I always wondered whether it was because Quorra was such an imperative part of my life or that I had finally come to terms with everything that involved Dad or a combination of the two.

I tried to ignore the fact that this woman that I had met only a few months ago somehow had snuck her way past everything and was bringing out this new side of me. I wanted to act right, behave, grow up and be the best that I could be, all for her.

I tried to ignore the way she made me feel when she looked at me with such compassion and understanding in her deep electric blue eyes. But it was becoming harder and harder.

Alan had brought it up once after a board dinner as we stood outside of the penthouse on the balcony. I don't remember how the topic had begun but once he began talking, I couldn't stop thinking.

"Will you ever tell her?" he had asked nonchalantly like he had just asked me about the weather or wanted to know what my favorite color was.

"Tell who what?" I asked in return, looking out across the city as I felt my heart begin to race in my chest.

Alan cleared his throat. "Seriously, Sam?"

He was looking at me as if I had just grown two heads. "Seriously," I muttered, hoping that he'd drop the subject.

Of course he didn't, that would've been too easy.

"Quorra and you know what," he stated as he nudged me. "Come on, kiddo, I see the way you look at her. I've never seen you look at anyone like that before."

I shrugged again. "I have no idea what you're talking about, there's nothing to tell," I stated dryly.

"I know that isn't true, Sam," he said quietly.

We fell into silence for a while and I chewed on my lip, trying to think of something to say.

"Even if there was, I…can't," I said, exhaling deeply.

"Why not?"

I sighed and shoved my hands into my pockets. "I can't confine her to this life…with me. I don't want to stop her from what she wants."

"You've thought about it though," he said. "Don't over think this because I think you are. If she had planned on leaving, wouldn't she have done so already or made the suggestion?" he pressed.

"It's not like that at all, Alan," I said but I could feel the falseness to that statement deep within me. "So just drop it, okay?"

He was silent for all of five seconds. "You deserve to be happy too, Sam, don't deny yourself that."

And with that, he patted me on the shoulder and left me on the balcony with my thoughts.

I had come home that night to see Quorra playing with Marvin, the two taking turns chasing each other and Quorra occasionally throwing one of his toys for him to fetch.

"Hi, Sam," she said through her panting breaths before she tossed another toy down the hall. She let out a moaning noise and collapsed on the floor, looking at me with a grin. "Marvin needs to have a little less energy. How was your day?"

I stood over her as Marvin came back and stepped all over her torso before sitting on her stomach. We both laughed. "Marv," I playfully complained and all my dog did was look up at me with his large eyes. "It was pretty good, enjoy your day off?"

"I did," she said as she nodded, still trying to catch her breath. She made no effort to get up so I joined her on the floor, rubbing Marvin's head as I sat with my legs against her side. "How about we go see a movie tomorrow night?"

"Depends on the movie," I said although I knew that deep down, I would've gone to see any movie with her.

"The Chronicles of Narnia movie," she answered. "I finished all of the books and I'd like to see this installment," she murmured.

"Okay but you have to pick the movie time and place," I said as I nudged her.

She laughed. "Already done."

"So, what you're telling me is, you were planning on seeing this movie with me not dependent upon my answer," I said as I met her gaze, giving her a playfully dirty look.

"Precisely," she said as she laughed aloud.

I grinned down at her. "I'll give you something to laugh at," I said as I reached my hands out and grabbed her foot with one hand and began tickling it with the other.

She shrieked and twisted against my hold, causing Marvin to tumble off of her and walk over to his bed, away from the situation. "Oh, Sam stop!" she shrieked as she began to kick her legs and her laughter grew louder.

I slowly stopped and she gasped for air and clutched her sides. "Come on, get off the floor, Q," I teased her as she continued to catch her breath.

"Oh, shut up," she said as she laughed softly and placed her feet on the ground so her knees were bent at an angle.

I rolled my eyes and looped an arm around the back of her knees and worked the other underneath her back to lift her into my arms. I stood carefully and noticed how light she felt in my arms. "How about a movie now?"

"Yeah, okay," she hummed as her head rested against my shoulder and her arm was wound around my neck. Her other arm eventually worked its way around the other side of my neck. "I like this," she mumbled and I could feel her breath against my neck. "More than tickling."

I chuckled again and held her in my arms, thinking about how perfectly she fit there and how I could've held her like this until my arms grew tired. "Me too."

That's when I realized that I was running out of time.

"Just three more days, kiddo," Alan said as we walked down the hallways to the various hotel rooms that were being used to house all of the board members that accompanied us on the trip.

"Yeah," I agreed, glad to hear that there were only a few days left. "I can't wait to go home," I said as I stopped in front of my door. "I'll see you in the morning."

Alan chuckled softly as he continued down the hall and I closed the door to my hotel room. I looked at the clock.

I immediately pulled out my phone and sighed as I saw the two missed calls from Quorra. The last time that we had talked was three days ago after the second day of conference meetings had let out an hour early.

I missed her voice and the thought of not talking to her in such a while had me on edge. I called her phone and was relieved that I heard the phone make a clicking tone after three rings.

"Sam?"

I heard her tone clearly and I took a relaxing breath. "Hey, Q," I murmured as I settled onto the bed. "I'm sorry it's been so long."

"It's okay," I heard her say but she didn't sound okay as she said it. "How are things going?"

"Alright, I'll be on my way home in three days," I told her with a slight smile. "How about you?"

"Okay, I finally got Lora to leave," she said and I could hear the hints of an upcoming accusation coming my way. "You asked her to keep an eye on me while you were away," she stated.

I made a face. "Yeah, I don't know, I just felt more comfortable not leaving you hanging for a week."

"You're not, you're doing your job, Sam. I can't be mad at you for that," she responded with a sigh.

I swallowed hard, feeling my heart do that weird fluttering thing in my chest again. "I miss you, Q."

She was silent for a while and for a moment, I thought that the call had cut off. "I miss you too," she echoed quietly. "It's…different without you here," she went on and I could imagine her biting her lip. "I don't like it."

"I'm sorry," I told her honestly but I couldn't help the smile that spread over my face as well as that sickeningly familiar feeling in my stomach.

Silence fell between us for a few more seconds and I realized that something else must've been bothering her and I was about to find out what it was. "Can I ask you something?" she asked, her tone coming through quiet and muffled but I knew that it wasn't the cell reception.

"Sure."

"Why did you all stop the research on my capabilities?" she asked and I could imagine her chewing on her lip again. "Were they insufficient?"

I opened my mouth to speak but then shut it, sighing aloud. "No."

"Then what?"

I ran a hand through my hair and leaned into the pillow that rested against my back. "When my father wrote entries about ISO's in his journals, he had intended for there to be thousands. Not one," I started as I made a face. "We can't guarantee your safety if we go public with this and you know I won't have that."

She was silent for a handful of time and I knew that she was letting the truth to my statement sink in. "What if we're running out of time?" she asked, reminding me that the marking on her upper arm was still fading, even though the process had slowed substantially. Now someone would just think that she had drawn on herself and the ink was slowly fading away.

"Then, that's fine, life will still go on," I reminded her gently. "Lora is working on it. If anyone can work through the kinks of all this, it's her," I stated and I knew that much was true.

"I don't want that sacrifice to be for nothing," she said quietly and I could imagine her lips turning down in a detached grimace.

I sighed, feeling the grief bubble up inside of me, letting it take its course this time instead of pushing it away. "Believe me, you're not nothing and you can't take back what is already done."

"I wish I could," she said in a breathless tone. "He chose wrong, Sam."

I made a face, my thoughts torn at the statement. Having my father back with me wouldn't have been a great thing but then, I wouldn't have Q. I couldn't decipher which was the lesser of two evils and that scared me shitless.

"Don't say that, I love having you here," I said with a small smile and thought of anything to change the subject because I could hear the distress in the way she was breathing into the phone. "How's Marv?"

I wanted to embrace her in a hug but couldn't since I was thousands of miles away. So we settled on talking until I finally fell asleep three hours later.


	5. Chapter 5

_Five_

_Quorra P.O.V._

Spending ten days without Sam was a challenge in itself. I picked up most of his work at ENCOM which had its ups and downs. I got to meet a lot more of the employees that worked in the building, sitting in on meetings, meeting with clients and of course, continuing my work with the operating system that would be ready to test on Tuesday, about a month before it was supposed to be ready.

Everyone was very pleased with this and when I told had told Sam about the update one morning he had called, he was surprised yet eager to see it.

Programming was in my blood, more so quite literally than metaphorically and he knew that. That's why I held this position. Lora and I would eat dinner together in the evenings of the last four days that he was gone because I found that I disliked being home without him for so long. It was strange, the apartment that I had lived in since a week after I had gotten here no longer felt like a home to me. Of course it was warm and comforting at times but I realized that there was a larger component that made it home to me. That was Sam.

Getting to sleep the night before he got back was a huge struggle but finally, after two hours of wrestling with myself, I was able to doze off.

I awoke to feel a warm hand on my shoulder and I jumped, my eyes fluttering open to the darkness that surrounded me. "Hey, Q," I heard Sam murmur as I began to see the outline of his body in the darkness.

I grinned, the tiredness leaving my body within seconds. "Sam!" I murmured excitedly as I grasped his forearm and pulled his torso towards me, hugging him fiercely. "You're back!"

"I am," he said against my neck. "The private jet left right after our last meeting so I got in early," he explained.

I hummed my approval and after a few moments, I unwillingly released him. "Good, I missed you," I said as he pulled back slowly and sat on the side of my bed. "Are you tired?"

He nodded. "Not really, I think I picked up a bit of jet lag during my trip there," he said with a small chuckle.

"Because of the time zone difference?" I guessed, remembering reading about the word in the dictionary a while back.

"Exactly," he said as his gaze didn't release my own.

I yawned despite my excitement from seeing him. "Well, I am," I admitted as I looked over at the time. Barely four in the morning.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," he murmured and I could hear the slight disappointment in his tone.

He stood and I grasped his wrist before he was able to fully make his departure. "Wait," I mumbled and he stopped, turning to face me. "Lay down with me," I said as I lazily ran my hand over the empty side of the bed.

He released my hand and moved to the other side of the bed, resting his head on the unused feathery down pillow. "Yeah, okay," he murmured as I turned so I was facing him. "Just for tonight though."

"Just for tonight," I echoed but something in my mind disagreed to that statement.

"How have things been going? What have you been up to for the last week?" he asked me as he looked up at the ceiling but his hand reached out to grasp my own. I squeezed.

"I went grocery shopping a few days ago, went to pick up the Jules Verne book that shipped from Russia the other day, ECNOM…not too much outside of my ordinary routine," I replied with a small lift of my shoulder.

Sam nodded and I could imagine him smiling right now for some reason. "So, at least I know you can hold your own while I'm away."

"Of course, although I would not prefer it," I admitted and it was his turn to squeeze my hand.

"It's all a part of the gig sometimes," he told me and I knew that much.

"I know."

He squeezed my hand, pressing his thumb against the bone in my wrist. "Maybe you can come with me next time. I am the CEO, you'd think I'd be allowed to call all of the shots."

"I never saw ENCOM headquarters as a dictatorship," I said and he laughed despite the simplicity of the joke. "That's why the board is there."

"Yeah, yeah…" he mumbled. I felt his free hand run along the side of my face and brush my hair behind my ear, his finger catching one the diamond stud that was nestled in my newly pierced ears. "You got your ears pierced?"

He dropped his hand away from my face and let it rest at his side once more. "Yes, although it didn't hurt as much as I anticipated. I have to keep these earrings in for a few weeks before I can start switching them out," I responded with a smile. "Lora helped me pick out a few pairs of training earrings while they heal."

I could hear Sam grin in the darkness that my eyes were still adjusting to. "Any other surprises you want to spring on me?"

"Not particularly, although I wouldn't call getting my ears pierced a surprise," I stated as I pursed my lips. "I discovered that cheesecake is probably one of the best desserts on the planet."

Sam burst into laughter and within moments, Marvin had hopped onto the bed, sitting on my feet. "That isn't a surprise at all," he said. "And if you don't quit it with all of the sugar and desserts, we're going to have to get you a dentist. And food therapist."

I smiled. "There are so many great foods here," I murmured before letting out a yawn.

I curled up into a loose ball and pulled the covers more over my form than they had been a moment ago.

"How about pancakes for breakfast?" Sam suggested, turning his face towards me.

"And bacon," I added as I closed my eyes, feeling sleep beginning to reach the surface again. "Pancakes and bacon sounds fantastic."

Sam stifled a laugh and released my hand as I fell closer to sleep. "And later, presents."

"Presents?" I mumbled curiously.

"Just a few things I got from India. I think you'll like them," he replied as he sat up in the bed.

I made a noise of disappointment and shook my head against the pillow. "Stay."

The word was barely a whisper and I was asleep before I knew if he had granted or denied my tired request.

For the first time in over a week, I fell into a comfortable deep sleep, only to wake up with a large smile on my face to see that Sam had granted my request.

Our legs and feet were tangled together but I still rested on my own pillow.

Sam's eyes were open and he stared up at the ceiling with a troubled expression. His hands rested underneath his head. "What's wrong?" I asked in between a yawn as I reached a hand out to rest on his arm.

Sam turned to look at me and smiled softly but his eyes still held that troubled look. "Nothing, good morning," he said.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked.

"I haven't gotten sleep like that in a good while," he admitted as he began to untangle our legs. I could feel the difference between our skin as our legs and feet touched, how my smooth soft skin bumped up against his tougher and more rough skin. "You?"

"Yeah."


	6. Chapter 6

_Six_

_Sam_

As February came and went and March passed with all of it's rain, April slowly snuck up on me. Quorra enjoyed spring, probably more so than winter since she was appreciative of the weather becoming warmer and the skies becoming brighter once again. She'd spend a lot of her waking moments sitting out on the balcony that was attached to the apartment, either reading or letting the sunlight soak into her skin.

Her hair was growing out, slowly inching towards her shoulder blades and she would tell me how much she had always wanted long hair and that she was happy that her was growing even though she didn't expect it to. And since she was happy, I was happy.

We were nearing the six month mark since we had popped out of the Grid and it was now mid-spring. I had only been on one other business trip since my trip to India in February but leaving her behind had left no different feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Not to mention the fact that we were becoming closer to one another as the days ticked by. It was like there was an unspoken agreement between the two of us that I tried to ignore but couldn't just because of how she was.

I enjoyed her company and she enjoyed mine, so none of the rest mattered, right?

That's what I tried telling myself, reassuring myself as we'd spend countless hours on the couch, cuddled up with one another as we watched movie marathons on Saturday's or when she'd wake up in the middle of the night and wonder into my room, laying down on my side as I rolled over to the empty side and we'd talk until she could fall asleep.

I wondered if she knew the battle that I was internally having with myself. I didn't want her to feel like she had to stay for me, I didn't want her to stay for me. But it didn't seem like she intended on going anywhere.

Deep down, I knew something was brewing here but I was to afraid to admit it and even more afraid to act on it. I didn't want to lose her in any way, shape or form and I could deal with the life that we currently shared to maintain that. I'd never been good with relationships and I'd be damned if I hurt her.

Her arms tightened around my torso as we turned a sharp curve and I pressed the gas a bit more. I could feel her chin digging into the skin at the back of my neck and every once in a while her nose would bump into the back of my head.

I tossed the keys on the counter once I step through the door to our apartment and settle onto the couch while Quorra disappeared into her room. I decide to finally turn the TV on, looking at the screen absentmindedly as I debate grabbing a bag of Doritos and a beer.

Quorra seemed to have read my mind because when she came out of her room, dressed in a pair of yoga pants and one of my old Cal-Tech t-shirts, she walked into the kitchen to grab the bag of Doritos. Well, close enough anyways.

And I know what you're thinking but I had let her use the t-shirt when she had a limited amount of outfits during her first week and a half here. I ended up letting her keep it because you could never have enough t-shirts and, whether I wanted to admit it or not, I liked the idea of her wearing my t-shirts.

She perched herself onto the single chair that was directly across from me and opened the bag, popping a Dorito into her mouth, munching on it as she glanced at the TV. "Too bad it's raining today," she commented as she glanced out the window at the late morning skies that were dimmed by the dreariness that had settled into the Los Angeles area.

"Why?" I asked because I was curious and we had just been out to breakfast with Alan and Lora. It wasn't that bad outside.

She bit her lip, not the type of biting that she would do when she was troubled but the one that told me that she had something up her sleeve. This was never good for me.

"I was going to guilt you into a trip to Disney Land," she said and she grinned immediately, not feeling bad at all for telling me her plans "Or the zoo, I was still trying to decide when I figured that it didn't matter either way," she added with a shrug.

"I would've preferred the zoo," I stated as I remembered the faces that she'd make as we went to each habitat and how I'd remember that day for years and years just because she was that entertaining. I paid to see her facial expressions, I could've cared less about the animals. "Why a guilt trip though?"

She quirked an eyebrow at me as if it were obvious and it probably was but I wanted her to tell me. "You're excessively busy with ENCOM," she started as she chewed on her lip, this time she was troubled. "You've been unintentionally distant lately."

That's another thing I liked about her, she'd tell me how it was even if she had to sit me down and yell at me for five minutes to do so. Yes, really, she had done that before.

"I know," I said and I looked away from her and focused on the bag of Doritos instead. "Are you going to share those?" I asked, not just because I really wanted some but also because I enjoyed feeling her warmth against me.

She rolled her eyes and stood, sitting on the other side of the couch and setting the bag in between the two of us. "Do you intend on telling me why?"

"I've just been busy and it's kind of stressing me out," I told her and honestly, that was it.

She nodded and we lapsed into silence, making fast work at emptying the bag of Doritos between the two of us.

She turned the channel to Disney and watched in amusement

"I have a concern."

"About?"

"You know Evan Stark?" she asked and I stared at her blankly as I tried to figure out why that name sounded familiar. "He's on the programming team."

"Yeah, he was definitely a great addition," I said before I paused. "What about him?"

"He asked me out on a date for this Friday," she said and my eyebrows rose and I felt like I had just been punched in the stomach.

My heartbeat sped up a degree and I could've sworn that in any second, I was about to turn into the Grinch and wreck everyone's Christmas. "What did you say?" I asked.

"I didn't know how to respond to the situation so I accepted his number and excused myself from the situation," she answered and I couldn't help but laugh. I could imagine her doing exactly that.

"You have to give a response eventually, you know?" I reminded her with a sigh.

She shrugged. "I know, I will on Monday."

"What will you tell him?" I asked, feeling like I was holding my breath, probably because I was.

She sighed. "I'm going to tell him no," she answered.

"Why?"

I could feel the relief swarm inside me. She looked at me finally, her face serious. "I just…" she trailed off as she bit her lip "I just have this gut feeling, you know?" she asked as she rested her head on her hand. "That there's something substantial going on in my life…and he's not it."

I nodded, understanding that feeling completely for once.

"And anyways, I enjoy this life," she said as she gestured to everything around her. "You, Alan and Lora, Marvin…" she trailed off. "I don't think I'd trade it for anything."

She smiled and turned back to watch TV as I kept my gaze locked on her. Her head tilted back with laughter and I could care less that she just wiped her Dorito fingers all over my Cal-Tech t-shirt because honestly, that was one of the least of my worries these days.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Hope you've been enjoying the story thus far! Happy Holidays!_**

**_UPDATED: The last two sentences were altered because I felt like there was an emotional blemish to this chapter because of it. It isn't vital to read the new ending but the next chapter will make more sense! _**

_Seven_

_Quorra_

I walked down the narrow hallway that opened up to the interactive screening room where Sam spent most of his time at ENCOM these days, combing through the new operating system that was to be released in July.

I turned the lights on and he turned around to see me, greeting me with a tired smile. "Sam, it's almost ten," I stated as I glanced at the diamond studded watch that he had helped me pick out in late February.

"Sorry, I keep losing track of time," he apologized as he began shutting the programs down.

I leaned up against the wall. "Have you found any kinks yet?" I asked, knowing that there probably wasn't any but knowing that it was protocol to check the systems.

He walked over to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "No, you did a fantastic job. The board has been talking about promoting you," he said as he squeezed.

"I enjoy working so closely with you though. I wouldn't like a position that keeps me cooped up in the control rooms either," I added with a shrug but smiling at him due to the appraisal.

"Alan and I have kept that in mind. Trust me, I don't think I'd survive work some days without some of your humor," he promised as he winked at me.

"Good."

He dropped his hands from my shoulders. "Let me show you something," he said as he glanced at his watch before grasping my hand and pulling me out of the screening room.

We took the emergency exit stairs up a few flights and I began to slow down, my limbs feeling exhausted as Sam opened a door. "Why couldn't we just take the elevator?" I asked breathlessly as he looped an arm around me and practically pulled me up the rest of the stairs.

"I thought it'd be more fun at the time," he said with a chuckle and I couldn't help but smile. He opened the second door that was a few feet behind the security door to the stairs and my eyes widened as I realized that we were on the roof of ENCOM.

"Wow," I mumbled as he propped both doors open and guided me to the northern side of the roof, sitting on the edge of the building like there wasn't over fifty floors between him and the pavement below. I stood, leaning against the wall that he was sitting on. "I wouldn't advise that," I said as I wrapped my arm around his upper ar.

"I've done it a lot," he said as she rested his hand over mine and then looked back at me to see the distressed look on my face. "Geez, fine," he muttered as he moved so he was merrily standing beside me. "Don't say I don't do anything for you," he went on teasingly as he nudged me playfully.

I nudged him back, letting our sides lean against one another for a few extra seconds for emphasis. "You can see everything from here."

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" he pressed as he turned me at a slight angle and pointed up at the sky. "Watch."

I followed where he was pointed and frowned when I noticed that there was nothing there. "What am I looking at?"

"Just wait for it," he replied and about twelve seconds later, the night erupted into schemes of bright colors.

"Fireworks," I breathed with a grin and Sam merrily nodded as we both fell into silence, watching the night light up before us.

Somewhere during the show, our hands had clasped together, almost like there was a magnetic attraction between them but for the first time ever, our fingers effortlessly laced together.

I grinned not just because I was on the highest point in Los Angeles or because the night was beautiful with fireworks but because I was with Sam and we were closer than we'd ever been. It made the trek down eleven flights of stairs that much more bearable. That and the fact that Sam held my hand all the way down.

The car ride home was quiet and when we rolled into the driveway to our apartment, I was halfway asleep, my eyelids refusing to stay open for more than a few seconds.

My car door opened and I let Sam help me out of the car, looping an arm around my torso as we headed up the stairway in the apartment that lead from the garage to the living space.

"Hungry?" Sam asked as he pulled away from me and edged towards the kitchen but I shook my head and made my way to my room, changing and then brushing my teeth and combing through my hair in the bathroom. When I returned to my room, I noticed Sam laying on the normally empty side of the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

I smiled and got under the covers, curling into my pillow before turning to look at him. We were silent for a while and I knew that I only had minutes before I dozed off. "Thank you."

"For?" he asked, turning his face to look at me.

"Giving up so much to take me in," I murmured.

He chuckled softly. "To be honest with you, the move from the storage container was long overdue," he started. "But the rest…" he trailed off. "In a way, needed to be done. Alan jokes about it all the time, how I finally grew up," he said as his tone got a little pang of something in it. "So I should be the one thanking you really."

"Well, then you're welcome."

"As are you."

I reached my arm over and rested it against his stomach, feeling the rise and fall as he slowly breathed. "So, I have an inquiry."

"When don't you?" he asked as he chuckled and wrapped his hand around my wrist, squeezing gently. "What is it?" he pressed.

"I would like to be in enrolled in college if that is a possibility," I told him.

He gave me a strange look. "Why?"

"I want to learn more," I stated as I pressed my hand into him for emphasis. "Biology, physics, chemistry, engineering, business, law…" I trailed off as I fixed my gaze on him.

He was silent for a little while and I knew that he was thinking the pros and cons over because his hand was unintentionally rubbing against the length of my forearm. "I don't see why not," he started. "We'll have to comb over your paperwork before you can apply though. I'd assume you'd like to start in the fall?" he asked.

I nodded. "Or in the summer, or now," I said eagerly.

He smiled but it looked forced and I felt his hand tighten around my wrist. "Will that be a problem?" I asked, concerned.

He frowned, shaking his head. "Not at all."

"But there is some sort of problem," I pressed as I stared at him, my eyes searching for the answers that he wasn't verbally saying.

He shook his head slowly and released my wrist. "There's not."

I sighed and turned onto my other side so my back was facing him now. "Was it something that I did?"

"What?"

"Sam…" I mumbled as I turned around again to look at him. "Don't pretend with me."

He looked up at the ceiling before closing his eyes. "Believe me, I'm not," he muttered. There was a hint of longing in his tone that I knew wasn't meant to be there.

"Then stop lying to me."

His eyes opened and he glanced at me, his jaw set. "You think I'm lying to you?" he asked and I merrily held his gaze. "I'm not," he said as he held my gaze, his tone more than serious.

"Then what?" I pressed as I scooted over so I was now resting my head on his pillow, so close to his face that it was difficult to focus on his eyes.

I felt him tense up but he didn't melt underneath the pressure like I had hoped. "You should get some sleep," he said as he glanced over my shoulder. I pouted at him. He breathed a laugh. "You can't always do that to me, you know?"

I sighed as I pressed my hand against his chest, feeling the pulsing of his heartbeat. "Why not?"

"Because it isn't fair."

I sighed and pulled back slightly so there was more space between us, nestling back into my bed. "I'm not the passive aggressive type, Sam Flynn."

"I know."

We continued to talk though despite the small confrontation until I grew tired and eventually dozed off. As I fell asleep, I could feel Sam's hand resting against my torso.

When I awoke the next morning, I frowned to see that the space that Sam had occupied last night was empty and the side was neatly made, letting me know that he hadn't slept here.

I sighed, feeling the blatant disappointment wash over me in powerful waves. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, slowly making my way towards the door and out into the living area. I opened the refrigerator and grabbed the bowl of fruit that I normally went for in the mornings.

There was a note.

_I'll be back this evening - S_

_I smiled at the note despite his absence, knowing that he had his typical steady routine with ENCOM to contend with while my schedule didn't demand as many hours from me._

_I left the note on the container lid, glancing at it every once in a while as I popped grapes in my mouth and watched the morning news._

_**Tell me what you think or if you have any ideas for the story. I love making a fanned idea into a chapter! See you soon!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_Eight_

_Sam_

Quorra ended up going to Caltech after applying to five academically competitive schools and getting into all of them. I think she ended up going there mainly because we all pushed her to go there so one night, I talked to her about it.

She was out on the terrace, leaning against the stone railing with her arms resting on the cooling stone. After a while, I came out to join her, moving so I was standing right next to her in almost the same position. Our shoulders and hips bumped into one another every few seconds as we moved.

"It's up to you, you know?" I asked as I nudged her gently. "Not Alan, not Lora or myself. It's all you this time," I reminded her.

She pursed her lips and tilted her head so she was looking at me from an angle. "I know," she said simply.

I made a face at her, not getting a read on how she was feeling on the topic. "And?"

"I want to go to Caltech."

She smiled at me after she said that and I could see how her transformed because of it. "Are you sure? You can go anywhere," I told her.

She bit her lip and turned so she was facing me completely this time. "Wouldn't you miss me though three thousand miles away?"

One of her five schools had been Harvard. They had even paid for two flights for us to come tour the school in early June. She declined the offer though, simply saying that she wasn't interested in going there anymore.

"Of course I would," I said easily because I really couldn't imagine not having her around for months on end until she got her degree. "A lot, you know that," I started. "I mean, who else is going o continue building a library out of the spare room or angrily talk about our neighbors when they throw parties every other Saturday and park in our section?" I asked teasingly.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Oh, shut up. And they don't even ask," she added. "And you liked the library idea."

"I know, I'm kidding," I said as I squeezed her right shoulder. "I'd miss you but…I'd never be too far out of reach," I told her and she knew that much.

"Then why would I go?" she asked as she locked her wide blue eyes on mine. She looked confused as she stared at me as if doing that was insane. Maybe it was.

I sighed aloud. "Don't you understand, Q? This isn't about me, it's about you, about what you want," I said as I wrapped my hand around her wrist.

She gave me a look that suggested that we weren't on the same page and she made that angry pout that she'd always make when she was frustrated with me. "And don't you understand? I don't want to go anywhere. I want to stay here," she murmured as she turned away, looking out across the city. "With you," she added as she grasped my wrist back.

I chewed on my lip, feeling my heart beating inside my chest and hearing it pounding in my ears. She probably could too.

Her head tilted to the side again and she rose a curious eyebrow at me but I could see the smile playing at her lips.

"You can go anywhere," I started as I took a staggering breath, letting the thoughts that had manifested in my mind months ago become known. "Be anything that you want."

My hand tightened around her as if she was about to disappear, take my advice and vanish all of a sudden.

She stopped leaning against the stone and moved closer to me so our faces were about five inches apart. Her grip on my wrist tightened in response. "It would never be anything I wanted if you weren't there to share it with me," she said in that simple tone that she had used earlier. "You have ENCOM and I have you so we stay here," she said as if she was reciting a math formula.

Immediately my head began to hurt and my stomach started to turn, threatening to dump out the Italian dinner that I had scarfed down about two hours ago.

Not because it reminded me of math or the time when my tutor had gone through a weird phase of teaching me science like one would teach math, but because she had already made up her mind and it seemed as though she had made it up a long time ago.

"I don't want you to stay for me," I said in a somewhat harsh tone, taking a step back. She took the step with me so no space was lost between us.

"I'm not."

She leaned forward then and before I could react, pressed her lips against my own softly. Her lips were slightly parted and the kiss itself was off target so she caught a portion of my bottom lip in hers.

I could've kicked myself right then and there for not kissing her back. I stood there, frozen like a statue, missing out on probably the largest opportunity of a lifetime.

Just as her lips met my own, they were gone. "It isn't for you," she said, her voice a little breathless but she smiled at me anyway and began to pull away in the direction of the glass door.

The tug reminded me that I was still grasping her wrist and when I looked down at our hands, at her and back again, I had instantly made up my mind as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

"Wait," I said as I resisted against her pulling away. My voice sounded weak, like someone had just punched me in the stomach.

There were about a million things I wanted to say to her as she turned back to look at me, holding my gaze without a single ounce of anxiety or doubt in her eyes.

She knew what she had done and what it meant. She knew what she wanted.

But instead of saying anything to her, I settled on pulling her towards me and wrapping one arm around her waist and letting my other hand lift her chin up. I placed a gentle kiss on her lips and felt for the first time in my life, what it must feel like to actually feel something real for someone.

Something so real that it made my heart race and blood go cold at the same time. Something so real that I couldn't believe that I had waited almost nine months to discover this particular opportunity.

In and of itself, the kiss was simple but it didn't lessen the effect it had on me. I could feel a fire that meant something much more than lust and want.

I felt more at home than ever before and I could've stood there all night like this but after about five seconds, I found myself pulling back.

Her eyes were wide, searching, her facial expression an exact replica of the one that she had held as she leaned against the lamp post minutes after we had jumped out of the Grid.

I could've kissed her again solely due to the face that she was giving me but I decided not to push my luck with her, not yet anyway.

"I don't want you to go anywhere," I told her honestly as I lifted my hand and carefully brushed my thumb over her cheek, feeling how soft her skin was. "But at the same time, I'm never going to hold you back from what you want. It's your life, remember?" I asked and then I grinned impishly at her because I didn't know what else to do and I was still on my own internal high.

She laughed and threw her arms around me instead of responding to me. I knew that she knew that though. There wasn't a moment since she'd been here where she wasn't living her life to the fullest even if the task was simple. She took everything in and was always more than eager to learn something new.

"So, what happens next?" she asked. Her breath brushed against my neck. She smelled like a mix between strawberries and vanilla.

I hummed and just held her close, something that wasn't necessarily a foreign gesture between the two of us. "Whatever you want to happen," I responded.

She was silent for a while and I wondered if she was thinking or just enjoying my warmth because I knew that was the only thing I was thinking about. That and the weight that had lifted off of my shoulders in the past ten minutes.

I'm not quite sure how long we stood outside on the terrace. I was too busy smelling her hair and rubbing my hand over her face and neck until she told me to stop. Luckily, she didn't.

Finally, after the wind had picked up a bit and Quorra found herself trying to burrow closer to me, she lifted her head. "Can we watch a movie?"

I wasn't expecting that type of response at all but this was Quorra we were talking about and she always had her own unique way of doing things.

"Sure."

"With popcorn?" she pressed and all I could do was laugh because of how simple she was and how she was happy and how I knew that she wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.


	9. Chapter 9

_Nine_

_Quorra_

"And what exactly are you doing?" I heard the ever so familiar wariness in Sam's tone but once I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at him, he seemed to be holding back a very large smile.

He let Marvin off of his collar and the small dog dashed off into the apartment, disappearing somewhere down the hall. Sam remained where he was, giving me a skeptical look, waiting for my response.

I suppose I had walked myself right into this question. I was perched on top of the island counter with my legs crossed underneath me. Meditation wasn't a task that I saw commonly practiced amongst humans. And it's not like I did it often, only when I truly needed to clear my mind which, to be honest, was kind of frequent these days.

I rose an eyebrow at him. "Knocking on the sky," I said as I let my legs swing out from underneath me, letting them drop over the counter. I swung them to the gentle rhythm of the clock that ticked away in the background.

Sam laughed softly and squeezed my knees as he brushed past me. "Oh, really?" he pressed as he grabbed a beer and opened it, taking a swig. "I never found that as an activity that would require my island."

We both laughed, our laughter twining together like a soprano and bass harmony. "I can clear my mind best here," I lied, making the lie very apparent with my tone. I don't know exactly why I chose this space, maybe since there was a window that I could look out at the sunrise at or because I loved our kitchen so much.

"Right."

"You should give it a try sometime," I said, giving him a more serious smile as opposed to our normally goofy and playful facial expression that we exchanged with one another. "Sometimes, it's just what I need."

Sam chuckled and grasped both of my hands, helping me down from the counter. "I may have to try it sometime then," he murmured as he squeezed my hands but didn't let go.

I squeezed back a few times and let one of our hands lace together as I dropped the other to my side.

Ever since that night on the terrace almost two months ago, things had changed between the two of us but at the same time, nothing changed at all. We still spent almost every minute of every day together even though our schedules conflicted a bit since I had started my first semester at Caltech in August. I wouldn't be surprised if we spent more time together than we used to. I never tired of his presence. The more time I spent with him, the more time with him I craved.

He looked at me differently and I'm not sure if it was because I had something in my hair or on my face or because he knew I wasn't going anywhere but either way, it sent chills down my spine and sometimes, I could swear that my heart faltered a little bit.

We hadn't kissed since that night and even though I yearned for that feeling deep in my veins, I never really questioned it. I was content with the life that had been drawn out before me with him and I knew that neither of us would trade that for anything. And that was the important part, right?

"So, I've got something for you," Sam started as he reached into an empty drawer in the kitchen, pulling out an envelope. "In celebration of the upcoming anniversary."

I couldn't help the unintentional flinch seize through me at the mention of that. Sam and I rarely brought it up and as it inched closer, it was almost as if there was an elephant in the room at all times. Metaphorically speaking of course.

A year since I'd been introduced to this new world. A year since I lost my mentor and Sam lost his father for a second time. A year since I'd met Sam.

There were quite a few positives and negatives to this particular anniversary and I hadn't yet decided which outweighed the other. I didn't know if it was something to celebrate because after all, I still felt like I had failed Flynn.

I took the envelope from him, pulling my other hand from his. He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the counter beside me, looking over my shoulder. "What is it?"

"You're supposed to open it," he said as he rolled his eyes but placed his hand on my shoulder. I leaned into his touch.

I nodded barely and opened it, revealing two plane tickets to St. Croix.

I stared at the plane tickets blankly before looking up at Sam curiously. "I don't understand," I mumbled as I chewed on my lower lip.

He chuckled. "I thought a change of scenery would be nice, get away from Los Angeles," he told me as he slipped the plane tickets out of my fingers. "You said you wanted me to show you the world so I thought there was no better time to start than now," he added.

"But what about work…and school?" I asked and honestly, these two concerns were probably the least of my worries at the time but I just had to ask.

"Already taken care of. All you have to do is pack in a few weeks," he told me as he turned so he was standing in front of me now. He frowned. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head slowly and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you," I breathed, so lightly that I wondered if he'd heard it. His hands squeezed the small of my back, assuring me that he had.

I felt his steady breaths blow against the top of my head and after about a minute of our arms in a tangled heap, I pulled back slowly. "What is it like there?"

"I don't know, I've never been," he said with a shrug. "Lot's of sun, glistening clear water that's warm," he tried as he toyed with a few hairs on the side of his head. "I think you'll like it there."

The plane tickets were easily abandoned, left on the marble countertop as Sam and I moved to one of the couches to watch a movie but mostly to eat buttery popcorn and double stuffed Oreo cookies.

The cookies weren't even close to the best part although they were extremely delicious or the Amazing Spiderman movie that Sam had put on because it was his night to pick a movie and he said that it was only fair since I'd apparently made him sit through the agony of Twilight.

The best part was how my head fit into the space between his neck and chest almost perfectly and how his left hand seemed to naturally lock into place on the side of my torso, just like a puzzle piece.

All of that was in the back of my head though and as I laughed aloud as Marvin stepped all over our legs, trying to find a space for him on the couch and Sam wiping Oreo stuffing all over my face, I thought about, for probably the first time ever, how lucky I was to be the last ISO.


	10. Chapter 10

_Ten_

_Sam_

Every once in a while, I would be reminded that Quorra wasn't truly human, that she was the last of her kind. She was still learning some of the most basic human tasks and skills but it was no less intriguing to watch her transform into the person that she already was.

She was normally the one reminding me without having to approach the topic. Every once in a while she'd ask a question like, why is the sky blue or why do people need food to survive?

Of course, she knew the scientific answers to these questions which I suppose were answers but when she asked questions like these, she was never looking for the scientific answer. She was looking for a human answer, an answer that had more substance that just pure knowledge.

She asked a lot of questions and my former self would've hated this but there was just something about her antics that made me enjoy the countless answers and hours of research that I went through to find an answer that I knew she was looking for.

The level of intelligence that she held floored me and I knew that anyone who had a conversation with her could also pick up on this intense intelligence despite the fact that externally, she looked like nothing more than purely natural beauty. And if I were to be completely honest, beauty and intelligence rarely ever mixed these days.

"It smells different here."

I tilted my head somewhat to the side curiously as Quorra sat in the passenger seat, looking out the ajar window to the car and taking deep slow breaths, almost like she was hyperventilating in slow motion.

"Well, we aren't in Los Angeles anymore," I reminded her as I drove slowly through a small winding road that was covered in a dense covering of trees and brush.

The flight from Los Angeles had been long and I could feel the tightness in my limbs from sitting for such a long period of time. Quorra had looked out the window in awe for the first few hours and then dozed off, her head resting on my shoulder, for the majority of the rest of the flight.

The sun was about an hour from setting as I parked the car in the driveway of the home that I had rented for the week. Quorra got out of the car slowly, taking in the sight around her before abandoning the driveway entirely and walking onto the sand, slipping her shoes off easily.

I walked to the trunk, pulling three suitcases out of the back, two of which were solely Quorra's. She had definitely picked up the oh so typical clothing, shoes and accessories fetish that most women acquired. I guess that was partly my fault though, I gave her whatever she wanted and I think she knew that I'd never say no to her.

As she stood on the sand with her bare feet and the light breeze brushing through her hair and the light fabric of the dress she wore, she looked like a character right out of a movie. The gold tint of the sun lit up her skin and hair and brightened her eyes to a degree that looked almost unreal.

"It's warmer here for this time of year," she commented as she turned to look at me, made a face and walked over to help me with unpacking. "Is that because we are closer to the equator?"

It was mid-November and unlike Los Angeles, which was slowly but surely dropping in temperatures, you could feel the rays of sunlight soak into your skin.

As much as Quorra had tried to delay the trip because of the two classes that she'd be missing and the fact that I had a press conference coming up that would be in my best interest to properly prepare for, I had wanted more than anything to get away from Los Angeles with Quorra for the anniversary. Get away from the city, get away from easy access to the arcade.

Not because I didn't want to be reminded of what happened or because I thought something would happen but because I didn't want to go back and because I didn't want Quorra to suggest it.

I felt a hard bump against my foot. Quire laughed apologetically, eyebrows raised and eyes wide.

"Probably."

She was right on my heels as we entered the oceanfront home and within a few minutes, she was perched on a bar stool, her eyes focused on one of the glass walls that had a full view of the ocean, while I started on dinner.

It took almost an entire year but Quorra finally approved of a dinner choice that I actually knew how to make which consisted of boneless buffalo chicken wings, a salad with this really good vinaigrette and onion rings as a side. She said that it was probably one of the best things she ever ate and sometimes I doubted that due to the high scale restaurants that we'd eat at on a pretty regular basis. But I wasn't going to question it all that much.

We ate dinner out on the seemingly artificial lawn and watched the sunset, staying out until the sky grew completely dark and the only light was coming from the beginning traces of the moon and the lights from the inside of the house.

"I like this change of scenery idea," Quorra murmured from where she rested on the soft grass beside me, her eyes focused on the clear sky above her. She was probably trying to count the stars. "We should do it all the time."

"I wish we could," I said, my eyes focused on her when I probably would've been better off looking at the waves or even counting the stars even though there were way too many in my field of sight. I felt my heart twitch. "I have ENCOM, you have school."

She grinned despite not having her way. "I suppose that makes sense," she breathed. "I feel exhausted," she added as she sat up slowly and looked down at me.

I laughed, not just because her hair was a tussled mess or because she had artificial grass and black turf pieces on her face but because, I don't know, I just couldn't help myself. "Going to bed?" I asked, not yet feeling tired myself so I remained laying on the grass.

She nodded as she stood, grabbing her almost empty champagne glass. "And tomorrow, Belgium waffles for breakfast," she said and smiled as I nodded at her. "Good night, Sam."

"Night, Q."

She disappeared from my view within the next few moments and I felt real silence envelope me as I remained outside for another two hours, finishing off my glass of champagne as I thought about everything that was important and everything that wasn't until I found myself growing tired.

I passed by Quorra's room as I made my way to my own room and after a quick change of clothes, I flopped into the bed without another thought.

I stared up at the ceiling, suddenly feeling less tired after I had all but crawled into bed but my tired limbs immediately relaxed against the mattress. I sighed.

I could hear her footsteps before I saw the silhouette of her form enter the room. Her ethereal blue eyes pierced the darkness. She walked over to where I was lying and pressed her hand against my arm. I smiled and rolled over to the empty side of the bed, tensing as I felt the cool sheets hit my skin.

She slipped underneath the covers, pulling them up to cover her torso. Our gazes locked and I waited expectantly, knowing that there was something on her chest that she wanted to voice.

Her eyes were distant but as we stared one another down, I began to gather the feeling that my gaze was the only thing that was grounding her.

"Do you ever wonder?" she started and I could feel her body tense through the mattress if that were even possible. "What's left?"

If my father was still alive, that's what she meant by that but neither of us had to bring that up to understand what she was getting at.

I made a face, somewhat grateful that the lights were off otherwise my true feelings on the subject were slightly hidden in the subtle darkness.

"All the time," I admitted because this was true whether I wanted to believe it or not. I may have come to terms with all of it and moved past it like the average grief-stricken person but I still couldn't help but wonder.

She smiled softly and lifted a hand to let it rest against my arm, her fingers pressing into the space underneath my muscles. "What if there's something left?" she asked softly, chewed on her lip a few times.

"Do you think there is?" I asked back and I felt her grip my arm a little tighter.

She made a considering noise deep in her throat before audibly sighing. "No," she said quietly but by the way she said it, I knew that she wasn't done yet. "But there's still that probability that something is," she added. "Every system has flaws. We of all people know this."

"But is that small probability a good enough reason to turn it back on?" I questioned her. "If the risks are higher than the pros, there's no reason to turn it back on, let alone go back," I murmured softly, pulling her a little bit closer with her arm that was outstretched towards me.

"Some things are worth the risk."

"And some things aren't," I stated, the words coming out a little harsher than I had intended. I bit my tongue, breathed in hard.

She gave me a disagreeing look but seemed to fold against my argument, falling into a calm silence. Her hand remained on my upper arm and I knew that she was doing what she did best, thinking, because I could still feel her fingers flex and relax against my skin.

"Can I be honest with you?"

I gave her a sharp look despite the fact that I was pretty tired. "As opposed to the normal amount of brutal honesty that you dish out?" I pressed and she laughed softly, her hand relaxing a bit. "Sure."

"As much as I want those answers…" she trailed off and I could've sworn that she was holding her breath. "I don't want to go back."

I smiled at her assurringly and wrapped an arm around her side as I watched the internal torment creep onto the lines of her face. "I think…if we were meant to go back, we would've done so already," I told her gently.

She nodded slowly and we fell into a comfortable silence. Her eyes closed and I wondered if sleep was beginning to envelope her like it was doing to me. Every breath she took was gentle and even and I tried to match each breath until I could feel darkness beginning to pull me under with her.

During my last few moments of consciousness, I heard her quiet whisper fill my ears.

"This is my home now, you're my home."

I'm not sure if I dreamed this up because when I lazily opened an eye to see her, her eyes were closed and her lips were parts ever so slightly. And then I was gone.

We slept in until around noon, way later than we ever slept in but I guessed that the jet lag was partially to blame for that.

Quorra had somewhere ended up on my side of the bed with her head resting on my pillow about three inches away from mine. Her body was tangled with mine and as I realized how close she was I began to wonder if I'd wake her up if I breathed too hard.

Before I had much time to worry about that, she rolled over and her electric blue eyes caught mine easily. "Hi," she said in an exhaling breath before she lifted her hand to rub against her face. Her elbow clipped my jaw. "Sorry."

I chuckled and nudged her in response, yawning aloud. "Ready to vacation Sam Flynn style?"


	11. Chapter 11

_Eleven_

_Quorra_

It didn't seem to matter where we were, Saturday's were still our movie marathon days, even at the beautiful oceanfront home in the Virgin Islands. We were to leave tomorrow evening and we'd done so much over the past few days that I think that we were both exhausted and a little more than a bit sunburned. Well, me mostly.

"I told you to put more sunscreen on," Sam had scolded slightly as he rubbed aloe on my face gently.

I didn't really have a response to that because, clearly, he was right and I wasn't really enjoying the tightness of my skin or the light shade of pink that my body was now taking on. The burn wasn't too bad all in all and as Saturday had rolled around, the burn had turned into skin that resembled a light natural tan.

Now however, as the sun sank below the curve of the earth in the water, we continued to remain cuddled up with one another on the couch as we watched yet another Pirates of the Caribbean movie. It's not that I didn't enjoy the movies because I did but I wondered why Sam enjoyed them so much and how many movies there actually were to this franchise because this was the third one that I've seen in the past two months.

I never really cared what movies we watched to be completely honest because most of the time, my mind wasn't focused on the plot of the movie or why there seemed to be a theme in all movies where the two main characters have a huge life-changing argument before the climax and resolution portion of the movie to only make up at the ned. I enjoyed being so close to Sam and even though there was no reasoning that I could come up with for it, I didn't really mind.

Sometimes I would really wonder though, like when I'd feel his hand slip down my side and feel the skin that had been touched seem to catch fire and send my heart into a rhythmic mess.

The spicy nacho Doritos were a nice touch to the movies and the sporadic and spectacular feelings. They were a tradition these days and it was also a tradition for Sam and I to finish the new bag of chips easily as well as the chewy Chips A Hoy cookies and milk and then go for a long run in the morning to make up for our very unhealthy dietary habits from the day before.

Working out with Sam reminded me of the limitations that my body had here. He was much stronger and had a naturally better stamina than I had when we worked out so Sam rarely ever paced our runs because I would practically be crawling back to the apartment after a pathetic ten minute cool down stretch. He didn't mind tagging along with me though and I was grateful for that because having a running partner was a lot more fun than working out solo.

I felt Sam's hand run through my hair and I jumped out of my thoughts and looked up at him to meet a pair of curious eyes. "If you don't like this movie, we can change it."

"No…it's not that," I mumbled, smiling slightly.

He rose an eyebrow at me. "Then what?" he pressed as he pinched my side playfully. "What are you thinking about?"

"Stuff," I murmured and I saw that this only made him more confused. I suppose that would be a bit confusing if I received an answer like that. "You stuff," I added and I bit my lip as I felt a heat rise into my cheeks.

"Me stuff?" he asked and he smiled but for once in what seemed to be a long while, it didn't reach up to his eyes and he looked as if he was about throw up those grilled hotdogs that we'd had for dinner.

I nodded. "Yeah."

He gave me a blank look before he straightened up on the couch and I mumbled my disagreement out as our forms untangled from the movement. "Is something wrong?" he asked and I couldn't help but laugh because normally, that was my line when learning about anything that had anything to do with humanity.

I hummed. "No."

"Am I going to have to play twenty questions to get an answer out of you?" he asked.

I shook my head and chewed on my lip, felt my heart begin to pound in my chest as I grasped his hands in my own, feeling his warmth seep into my skin. "Will you tell me something?"

"Sure, anything," he answered as I straightened up as well, the movie completely ignored by the both of us at this point.

There were probably a million things that I wanted him to tell me but I settled for one of the deeper questions that had began to ponder through my head ever since he'd kissed me. "How do you really feel about me?"

"What?"

I stared at him curiously and I felt his hands grip onto my own, holding them fiercely. I felt my mouth dry up and I exhaled deeply. "Sam…"

"I can't…" he trailed off as he seemed to pout. "Tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

He stared at me and he looked like he wanted to disappear or that he was going to bolt at any second. I prayed that he wouldn't.

Sam ducked his head, defeated. "Don't make me say it, Q," he breathed.

I pressed my nails into his wrists, somehow trying to pull him closer. "Say it," I murmured as I moved closer, leaned my forehead against his. He tensed up. "Sam."

We were so close that it was difficult to keep my eyes focused on his while not going cross eyed but I managed because I could feel that I was reaching him whether he wanted me to or not.

"Q, you don't get it," he said as he closed his eyes, breathed in hard. "I can't be that for you no matter how much I'd want to," he mumbled as he shook his head against my forehead. "I'd never deserve this…you in a thousand lifetimes."

I stared at him, releasing his hands to press my hands against his face. "Who are you to decide who I deserve? This is my life, remember?"

Sam breathed a laugh and opened his eyes again. "It is, isn't it?" he asked, lifted one hand to place on mine.

"It is," I murmured, nodded a few times. His unsteady, almost nervous breaths brushed against my cheeks. He smelled like chocolate. "I know you feel this too."

His body shook and I don't think my heart had ever beat this fast before. Definitely not

Our noses bumped into one another and we botch laughed softly. I felt him relax a degree. He looked at me and I stared back without an ounce of fear in my eyes because this was Sam and I knew he understood.

He licked his lips and exhaled, placed a hand on my cheek and rubbed his thumb over my skin. "I love you," he breathed as he squeezed his eyes shut as if he was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and if he clicked his feet three times, he'd wake up from this dream. "I'm in love with you."

I nodded, grinning so hard that my cheeks instantly began to hurt. "Yeah," I breathed because, at that moment, that's all I could utter out before the space between us diminished and he pressed his lips against mine.

And in that moment, I didn't care that I didn't know how this worked or didn't know what was going to happen next or the fact that I didn't really know where to put my hands as his arms looped around my waist, pulling me into his lap. The only thing that seemed to course through my mind, clouding it from any other possible thought, was him.

_**Finally, what all (or at least most) of you have been waiting for! :D Hopefully you all weren't getting too impatient but I wanted to try a different style as I approached these two. Review and let me know what you think.**_


	12. Chapter 12

I turned on my side, groaning as I wished that I could just ignore the alarm that I had permanently set on my phone. I opened an eye then the other, seeing the early morning darkness.

Quorra shifted from where she laid beside me, her elbow bumping into me. "I swear Sam, I'm going to kill you if you don't turn that off," she mumbled and I couldn't help but utter a tired laugh at how pathetic that threat sounded.

"Oh please," I mumbled back as I turned, just barely missing her lazy swing of her hand, and turned the alarm off. "Happy?"

"Extremely."

I felt her hand run over the fabric of my shirt, squeezed my upper arm slightly. I rolled over so I was facing her and could barely see the blue orbs of her eyes in the darkness. "Hey, you chose to sleep in my bed," I reminded her as I ran my fingers through her hair.

"What was I thinking?" she asked sarcastically as she shoved my chest gently with her hand and ran her bare feet against mine. They were ice cold.

I rolled my eyes and pushed the covers away from me, leaning over to press a kiss to her forehead before getting out of bed. I felt her fingers slip down the side of my face and rest on my neck for a few moments before she dropped her hand and I disappeared into the spacious bathroom.

Her sleeping in my bed had become more of a permanent thing except for the few nights where she was up late doing homework and would fall asleep in the center of her bed. I wasn't going to complain about this new almost normal idea of sharing a bed with her but I couldn't tell whether it was because it wasn't uncommon for her to crawl into my bed in the middle of the night or because I enjoyed her closeness. Probably both.

My bed was that much warmer and even more inviting, if that were possible, after a long day cooped up in meetings at ENCOM.

Although it did make getting out of bed in the mornings a little bit harder and I found myself running late more often than none these days rather than showing up fifteen minutes early.

I hopped into the shower, wincing as the hot water washed over my skin before relaxing a bit. I heard Marvin's collar jingling in the background and I knew that he had hopped up onto my bed and was most likely sitting on Quorra's stomach or sprawled out across her torso.

One thing that I disliked about being the CEO of ENCOM was that there was rarely to never a casual day where I could where a pair of khakis and a polo. I always had to wear some sort of suit combination or full dress suit. What was even worse was spending an entire day at this luxury store getting prodded and stabbed with needles as they prepared the alterations for about thirty suits.

Alan had gotten a good laugh about it as he sat there in a chair beside Quorra, who looked beyond bored with the entire situation. I was too so I couldn't really blame her.

Stepping out of the shower was always an unpleasant shock on those unnaturally cold mornings in Los Angeles and I felt myself shiver as I made my way to the closet connected to the bathroom, slowly throwing on the many pieces to the suit.

I heard Quorra laugh softly and I knew that she had probably migrated over to my side of the bed. I'd catch her doing it sometimes but I'd always know because I could smell the fruity scent of her hair on my pillow in the evenings. It was cute more than anything.

"What?" I asked, walked out into my room to find my shoes and gave her a questioning look.

She made a noise in her throat and shook her head. "Nothing."

"Something," I disagreed playfully as I slipped my shoes on and sat on the edge of the bed by her, tying them quickly before sitting back up and looking down at her after a quick glance at the clock. "So, I have a proposal."

She looked at me carefully, almost accusingly. "I'm not going ice skating with you again," she stated as she jabbed my side. "I still have bruises."

I chuckled, placed a hand on her side and squeezed. "That was fun but that's not what I was going to ask," I told her.

She smiled. "Okay, you have my attention now."

"What would you say to dinner tonight?" I asked as I rose an eyebrow at her.

She made a face suggesting that she was confused. "I always eat dinner or most of the time anyways but that's only when I've had a late lunch or if there's-"

I clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling the babbling that I had learned that she was pretty prone to. "You're ruining this, Q, you're supposed to say yes," I said as I lifted my hand from her mouth.

"But what am I saying yes to if I always eat dinner?" she asked, sounding exasperated. She ran her hand over her face.

I rolled my eyes, jostled her side a bit. "I'm asking you out on a date, Quorra."

She pursed her lips and quirked an eyebrow up. "Oh, those traditional American human mating rituals?" she asked.

"Don't ever call it that again," I stated as I gave her a disgusted look. She laughed. "Would you like to or not?"

"Where are we going?"

I squeezed her side and tickled her briefly and I felt her body jolt under the covers. "You always have so many questions," I said, feeling that familiar grin on my face that only she could cause.

"But you always have the answers," she murmured as she ran her hand across the sleeve on my arm, messed with the cufflinks.

Quorra shifted, ran her hand through her messy hair and swept it to the side. "So you're not going to tell me?"

She pouted at me and made a sniffing noise.

"It's a surprise," I answered. "I've had these reservations for almost two weeks."

She stretched under the covers before stilling under my touch again. "Even though I don't like surprises, yes," she murmured as she laced her fingers with mine. "I will go on this date with you, Sam Flynn."

"I gave you a day off so you don't have to come in once you're done with classes. I'll be back around four to pick you up," I told her, squeezing her hand with my own.

Her eyes widened barely and she gripped my hand hard. "What am I supposed to wear?"

"Whatever you want," I said because it really didn't matter what she wore, she was still Quorra.

She nodded but pushed her lower lip under her teeth and chewed on it. I remained on the bed and looked at her expectantly, ignoring the fact that it looked like I was going to be late today.

"Okay," she breathed.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," she murmured , placed her other hand above mine. "I'm excited."

I pulled onto her hands, helping her sit up so I was more eye level with her. "Me too," I said as I pulled her closer, placing my hand against her cheek and neck.

I leaned in to kiss her, feeling her breath hitch slightly as she took in a quick breath. I nudged her head back a bit and kissed her for a few more seconds before I sucked on her lower lip for barely a second, pulling away from her slowly. She leaned forward a bit and stopped, opening her eyes and chewing on her lip.

I leaned in and kissed her again, pulling her lip out from under her teeth before pulling away again. "I'm going to be late," I murmured as I stood, trying to distance myself from her before I kissed her again.

Her eyes sparkled in the early morning sunlight and she stood, walked past me, bumping into me very purposely. "You better get going then," she said as she walked towards the door, disappearing out of my room.

I followed her down the hall and stopped at her doorway as she moved about her room, looking for an outfit. "Ill see you later," I murmured.

"Okay," she murmured as she gave me a promising smile and disappeared into the bathroom in her room.

I grinned and continued out into the living area to write her a note on the pad of sticky notes that I kept in the kitchen for just this purpose, scribbled something down and then set it on the frozen yogurt pint.

_You look beautiful no matter what - S_


End file.
